The cheesecake

MAKES ONE 20CM CHEESECAKE FOR 10-12 PEOPLE

Cooking oil spray

FOR THE CRUMB BASE

60g wholemeal plain flour 40g soft brown sugar

¼tsp fine sea salt

2tsp freshly ground

cinnamon

50g unsalted butter

FOR THE CHEESECAKE MIX 140g caster sugar ¼tsp fine sea salt

500g full-fat cream cheese,

softened

100g egg (approx 2 eggs),

lightly beaten

300ml full-fat sour cream ½tsp vanilla paste or extract 40ml lemon juice

FOR THE TOPPING

250ml full-fat sour cream 10g caster sugar

¼tsp vanilla paste or extract

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 130°C fan/gas mark 2. Lightly spray a baking tray with cooking oil and line it with baking paper.

2 Spray a 20cm round cake tin with cooking oil and line the base and sides with baking paper. If you’re using a springform tin, you’ll need to wrap the outside with a triple layer of foil so water doesn’t breach the tin.

3 To make the crumb base, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a wide mixing bowl. Heat the butter until just melted, then pour into the bowl. Mix together with your hands to a sticky crumble. Scatter the mix onto the prepared tray and bake for 25min until evenly brown.

4 When cool, whiz in a food processor to a fine crumb. Fill the base of the prepared cake tin with the crumb. Pack it down lightly – the weight and moisture of the cheesecake mix will do the rest of the work.

5 Reduce the oven to 120°C/ 100°C fan/gas mark ½. Next, start the cheesecake mix. Put the sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and stir well to combine.

6 Add the cream cheese, breaking it into chunks as you put it into the bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on speed 2 (above low) to slowly cream the mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a flexible plastic spatula. The goal is a silky smooth texture, so just scrape and scrape to make the mixture as lump free as possible.

7 Stay on low speed and add the egg in two batches, scraping well between each addition, then add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give the mix a final hand whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Add a little lemon juice, then taste before adding a little more, until you reach your tang threshold. Pour into the crumb-lined cake tin.

8 For the water bath, place a piece of paper towel in the base of a high-sided roasting tin. Sit the cake tin in the roasting tin (the paper towel will stop it sliding around) and pour in enough hot water to come onethird up the side of the cake tin.

9 Lift the roasting tin into the oven. Bake the cheesecake for about 60min. When it’s ready, it should still have a wobble to the centre – not a loose liquid wiggle, but a firm undulation. A thermometer inserted into the centre should read 75°C.

10 To make the topping, mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla with a plastic spatula until runny and pourable. Starting from the outside, pour the topping over the cheesecake, smoothing it gently towards the centre with a spatula. If you pour the topping straight onto the centre, it can break the cheesecake skin and fall inside.

11 Return to the oven and bake for a further 15min. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the water to room temperature. If you’re using foil and can see some water has breached the tin, lift it out immediately and remove the foil so the base doesn’t become sodden, then leave to cool to room temperature.

12 Lightly cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight until set. The next day, cover a flat plate or board with clingfilm and place on top of the cheesecake tin. Flip it over and place the plate on a worksurface.

13 Lift a side of the tin and gently tease out the baking paper. This will loosen the cheesecake and, with a shake, it should release. If it is stubborn, warm the tin by either giving it a quick flash with a blowtorch or draping a hot tea towel over the base. Once the tin has been removed, peel off the paper and invert again onto a plate so the cheesecake is top side up. Serve chilled with fruit of your choice.